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NCLEX · Safety and Infection Control

A patient has C. difficile (C. diff) infection. Which isolation precaution level is required?

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Correct answer

Contact precautions — C. diff spreads via the fecal-oral route through spores that survive on surfaces; requires gloves and gown, dedicated equipment, and hand washing with SOAP AND WATER (not alcohol gel)

  1. A Droplet precautions
  2. B Airborne precautions
  3. C Contact precautions — C. diff spreads via the fecal-oral route through spores that survive on surfaces; requires gloves and gown, dedicated equipment, and hand washing with SOAP AND WATER (not alcohol gel)
  4. D Standard precautions only

Why this is the answer

C. DIFFICILE requires CONTACT PRECAUTIONS: Private room or cohorting; gloves AND gown when entering the room; dedicated equipment (thermometer, stethoscope, BP cuff — not shared); HAND HYGIENE with SOAP AND WATER — alcohol-based hand sanitiser is NOT effective against C. diff spores. This is the most critical nursing point for C. diff: alcohol gel does not kill the spores. Soap and water physically removes them. Environmental cleaning with sporicidal agents (sodium hypochlorite/bleach solution) is required. C. diff spores survive on surfaces for months. Contact precautions continue for at least 48 hours after diarrhea resolves. PPE removal: remove gown first, then gloves, then perform hand hygiene before leaving the room.
Source: NCLEX-PN, C. diff Contact Precautions

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About this topic: Safety and Infection Control

Safety and infection control questions cover Standard and transmission-based precautions, hand hygiene, fall and injury prevention, restraints, fire safety and handling hazardous materials. This is one of 35 PN: Coordinated Care questions on safety and infection control, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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